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Nicaragua Gives Hospital Ship Warm Welcome

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS070722-02
Release Date: 7/22/2007 1:26:00 PM

From Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Tyler Jones, USNS Comfort Public Affairs

CORINTO, Nicaragua (NNS) -- With a firm handshake and a warm smile, Mayor Ernesto Méndez Zeledón of Corinto, welcomed U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) mission commander Capt. Bob Kapcio during a short ceremony at the town’s cultural center July 19.

The ceremony was held as a kick off to Comfort’s humanitarian assistance operations in and around Corinto, during which the ship’s crew will provide no-cost medical services to the people of the western hemisphere’s second poorest country.

“We’ve set up a primary care and pre-operative screening site here in Corinto, and we’ll examine patients who have already been screened by host nation health care professionals before they come aboard the ship,” explained Capt. Bruce Boynton, Comfort medical treatment facility commanding officer.

Operations in the hot, bustling clinic were complicated throughout the day by limited use of electricity, provided only by generators brought by the ship. Electricity is only available in Corinto during the evening hours because of limited resources in the area. Nonetheless, dedicated health care teams from Comfort pressed on throughout the day in temperatures reaching nearly 90 degrees.

“It’s so hot here, and it’s been really difficult not having electricity,” said Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Pedro Zamora as he took vital signs on one patient. “Still, we came here to accomplish our mission, and we won’t leave until it’s done.”

Comfort is conducting operations at three locations in Nicaragua: Corinto Jose Shendell Hospital, la Rancheria Clinic and the El Realejo Health Center.

The sites are offering adult and pediatric primary care, dentistry, optometry, immunizations, and prescription services. U.S. Navy Seabees from Construction and Maintenance Battalion Unit 202 are also making repairs to sites in the Corinto area.

Comfort is currently deployed as part of the U.S. Southern Command’s Partnership for the America’s initiative, an ongoing training and readiness operation designed to strengthen regional partnerships and improve multinational interoperability.

“Our idea when we came here was not only to give medical care, but also partner with host nation health care professionals and deliver care together,” said Boynton. “We hope to learn something from them and have something to teach to them. We have similar interests; we are united. As we say here, ‘estamos unidos.’”

Military and civilian medical staff from across the United States are deployed with Comfort on a four-month humanitarian assistance mission to Latin America and the Caribbean providing health care services to people in more than a dozen countries.